When Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA) announced the launch of the Community Accelerated Research Exchange on World Ovarian Cancer Day, the response was immediate. More than 280 media mentions. Over 171 million people reached. Television and radio coverage in English and Spanish, in markets from San Francisco to Albany.
The excitement is building—and it’s just the beginning. As more patients join the Living Lab and more researchers engage with the Discovery Lab, the platform grows more powerful. Every participant, every data point, every collaboration brings us closer to the breakthroughs patients and families need.
Read more about the Research Exchange launch and see the coverage nationwide.
June is Uterine Cancer Awareness Month
Uterine/endometrial cancer is the most common type of gynecologic cancer, with 890,000 – 900,000 people currently living with the disease in the U.S. alone. June is both Uterine Cancer Awareness Month and National Cancer Survivors Month. OCRA is here to support everyone impacted by gynecologic cancer, this month and always.
Explore OCRA’s programs and resources for those impacted by uterine/endometrial cancer, including a first-of-its-kind national patient registry, support programs for survivors and caregivers, educational offerings, ways to get involved, and more.
Continuing a Legacy of Hope Through Ovarian Cancer Research Fundraising
When Stacey Dickinson’s friend Mary Anne Kobylka was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2004, Stacey didn’t hesitate to join when her friend announced she was going to do a triathlon to raise funds for research.
“She was going through chemo; I was healthy. It didn’t seem right to just donate.”
Stacey kept fundraising alongside Mary Anne through the years. After Mary Anne passed away in 2009, Stacey took over as captain of Team Mary Anne at Seattle’s SummeRun 5K, now one of the largest ovarian cancer fundraising events in the country. This year’s SummeRun takes place July 12 at Seward Park.
Stacey also donates 10% of net sales from her business, Play the Day®, to OCRA. Proceeds are dedicated to Mary Anne’s memory and to the hope that drives this work forward.
Special “Family Matters” Summer Series, Plus Upcoming Support and Education Sessions
OCRA’s special “Family Matters” Summer Series begins June 17 with support and education programming designed to help patients, survivors, and loved ones find connection and stay informed through Roundtables and Staying Connected sessions exploring the family side of a diagnosis:
- From Matriarch to Patient: Managing Shifting Roles and Priorities
- Hereditary Cancer’s Impact on Family Roles and Experiences
- Plans Interrupted: Fertility Loss After Diagnosis
- Mothers with Young Children
- Men and Gyn Cancer
- Young Adult Summersgiving
These join our regular Staying Current, Survivorship Workshops, Narrative Medicine, Book Club, and Express Yourself programs. Plus, join us for an informative webinar on the latest treatment advances for gynecologic cancers as presented at SGO, ASCO, and ESMO Gyn meetings this Spring.
Click here to view all support and education programming.
Staying Current: Treatment for Platinum Sensitive Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
June 11 at 1PM ET | Register
Webinar: Gynecologic Cancer Updates from SGO, ASCO, and ESMO Gyn
June 24 at 1PM ET | Register
Staying Connected: Narrative Medicine
June 26 at 11:30AM ET | Register
Staying Current: Treatment for Platinum Resistant/Refractory Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
June 25 at 1PM ET | Register
Survivorship Workshop: 3-Part Series (Register for one, two, or all three)
July 6, 13, and 20 at 2PM ET | Register
Staying Connected: Book Club
Yours Truly by Abby JiminezJuly 7 at 3PM ET | Register
OCRA’s Patient Support and Education programs are generously sponsored by AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Genentech, Genmab, GSK, Merck, PMV Pharma, and the Shirley Z. Johnson Trust.
OCRA’s Advocate’s Corner
Advocacy momentum continues to build, with recent victories at both the state and federal levels. Tennessee became the 24th state to enact comprehensive biomarker testing coverage legislation, expanding access to precision medicine for more patients, while advocates in New York successfully helped preserve access to biomarker testing during the state budget process.
At the federal level, the bipartisan Clinical Trial Modernization Act (S. 4440) was recently introduced in the Senate and would reduce barriers to clinical trial participation for historically underrepresented populations and help address the logistical and financial challenges many patients face. OCRA plans to sign on to a coalition letter supporting the legislation.
If you or someone you know has a story about barriers to clinical trial participation, please consider sharing it here.
Learn more in the latest Advocate’s Corner.
OCRA-Funded ROCCA Platform Launches to Accelerate Rare Ovarian Cancer Research
OCRA is proud to announce the launch of the Rare Ovarian Cancer Collaborative Analytics (ROCCA) Platform, an international federated data network funded by OCRA to connect researchers globally and accelerate breakthroughs in rare ovarian cancers.
ROCCA is actively recruiting research institutions and investigators to join the network. Researchers are invited to complete the Data Gallery and Expression of Interest form to express interest in joining the ROCCA network.
Support for ROCCA is generously provided in part by Verastem.
